Taika Waititi, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth And More To Do James And The Giant Peach Reading

An exciting roster of celebrities has been assembled by The Roald Dahl Story Company to read James and the Giant Peach as part of a charity effort, creating a 10 episode series which will read to the entirety of the childen's novel. The line up includes Ryan Reynolds, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Lupita Nyong'o Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Meryl Steep, and Cara Delevingne. The reading is part of a charity push to aid those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and will air exclusively on The Roald Dahl Company's YouTube channel.

Waititi hosted a video available on the channel now (embedded above) which announced the charity effort. Many of the stars can be seen in it, including Ben Schwartz, Eddie Redmayne, Billy Porter, Sarah Paulson, Gordon Ramsay, and others.

Among the names is an onslaught of talent from comic films. Waititi burst into mainstream popularity with Thor: Ragnarok in 2018 before helming an episode of The Mandalorian. He will soon write and direct a Star Wars movie. Cumberbatch is known for his roles as Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Strange, and Smaug the Dragon in The Hobbit movies. Chris Hemsworth is known for his role as Thor, often starring alongside Thompson's Valkyrie character in the Marvel world, both of whom starred opposite Blanchett's Hela. Reynolds portrays Deadpool. Nyong'o has appeared as Maz Kanata in Star Wars. Of course, this roster of actors has a stellar combined resumê which extends far beyond comic book and geek franchises.

Waititi said, "Being an adult child myself and having read James and the Giant Peach to my girls multiple times, I'm excited to be able to partner with my friends, the Dahl team and Partners In Health and re-tell this story to help those most in need right now. This wacky, wonderful tale is about resilience in children, triumph over adversity and dealing with a sense of isolation which couldn't been more relevant today."

New episodes of James and the Giant Peach will be coming available on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1 pm ET. The first episode starring Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, and Nick Kroll is available now.

(Photo: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)